Edisto will give a wrap to summer, usher in early fall with seasonal festivities
Edisto Island, S.C. – The Edisto Island and Edisto Beach communities know how to celebrate the seasons. Whether it’s the sizzling days of summer or the idyllic fall forecast, they’ve carved out a full lineup of events to showcase the year-round appeal of this quiet coastal island destination in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
As summer hits its peak next month, the Marina at Edisto Beach will hold the Invitational Billfish Tournament on July 22-25. This year, boat participation will be widened to include those participating in the Governor’s Cup Series in addition to local and regional boats. New activities, including entertainment, will add to the draw this year.
There are two other fishing tournaments sponsored by the Marina set for late summer and early fall. The Spot Tail/Golf Tournament is planned for August 15, with the golf portion hosted by the Plantation Course on Edisto. On September 19, the Offshore Fishing Classic will allow anglers to take advantage of the abundance of fish available in early fall while competing for some great prizes. For more information on all fishing events, please call 843-631-5055 or visit www.themarinaeb.com.
The ever-popular Edisto Music & Shag Fest will mark the unofficial curtain close on summer. The Fest, now a three-day event, will be held on September 4, 5, and 6, and will take place at Bay Creek Park, located next to the Edisto Marina. Festivities will begin at noon on Friday with arts and crafts, food vendors, and DJ Jim Bowers spinning records until 7:00 p.m. The Shem Creek Boogie Band will entertain from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., and then the Band of Oz performs until 11:00 p.m.
Saturday’s Fest events begin at 10:00 a.m. and include arts and crafts, food vendors, and continuous entertainment. DJ Jim Bowers will be providing music from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and the Shag Doctorz will play from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. At 7:00 p.m., the Entertainers (voted best band of 2014) will take the stage until 11:00 p.m. The annual shag competition starts at 9:00 p.m. Shag clubs from around the southeast will be on Edisto to participate. The fun continues on Sunday beginning at noon with arts and crafts, food vendors, and DJ Jim Bowers providing music until 3:00 p.m. The Fantastic Shakers will entertain from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. For more information, please call 843-869-3867, or visit www.edistochamber.com.
To give a clean sweep to the fall season, EdistoPride will sponsor the annual Beach & River Sweep on September 19. The event will begin at Edisto Beach State Park. Those interested in participating should contact EdistoPride by phone at 843-869-4422, or by email at edistopride@aol.com.
Later that month, the fourth annual Edisto Shrimp Fest will spotlight the fishing industry and its contributions to Edisto on Saturday, September 26, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., at Bay Creek Park. Local seafood will be served using celebrated Edisto recipes. Arts and crafts vendors will offer their treasured wares, and the Shem Creek Boogie Band will be performing from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. For more information, please call 843-869-2505, or visit www.townofedistobeach.com.
The picturesque Bay Creek Park is also the setting for the weekly Arts and Crafts Market, featuring many local artisans. The market is held every Wednesday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., from March through November 14.
October brings cooler temperatures and the Edisto & Beyond Tour, sponsored by the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society. The tours are set for Saturday, October 10, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This annual tour of plantations, churches, graveyards, and historic sites will feature Middleton Plantation, the restored foreman’s house at Sunnyside Plantation, Quantico beach house, Roxbury Park, Trinity Episcopal Church, the Historic Graveyard of the Presbyterian Church of Edisto Island, Old First Baptist Church, the Zion Reformed Episcopal Church, and the Boineau House and Christ Church, both in Adams Run. The tour will begin at the Edisto Island Museum, located at 8123 Chisolm Plantation Road. Tickets sell out quickly each year, with a limited number being offered. For more information or to check ticket availability, contact the Edisto Museum at 843-869-1954 or visit www.edistomuseum.org.
Also on Saturday, October 10, the Edisto Art Guild will hold its fall show and sale. The show will be held at the Edistonian, which is located on the Island at 406 Highway 174. For more information, contact the Edisto Chamber of Commerce at 843-869-3867, or visit www.edistochamber.com.
The following weekend, the Edisto Chamber of Commerce will sponsor its annual Edisto Fall Festival. This street fair, featuring art, local culinary treats, and activities for the kids, will take place on October 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Jungle Road. Following the festival, local restaurants will be sponsoring evening events with more details to be announced closer to the date. For more information, contact the Edisto Chamber of Commerce at 843-869-3867, or visit www.edistochamber.com.
As Halloween approaches, the Town of Edisto Beach will host the traditional Trick or Treat at the Creek at Bay Creek Park on Friday, October 30, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. There’s an array of fun for the kids with a costume contest, games and prizes, plus table-to-table trick-or-treating. For more information contact Town Hall at 843-869-2505, or visit www.townofedistobeach.com.
While taking in the events, nature lovers may want to consider any of the numerous tours that focus on birds and other wildlife on Edisto, including dolphins and migratory birds that pass through the area, such as bald eagles and peregrine falcons, along with thousands of shorebirds, such as the dunlin, whimbrel, and godwit. There’s remarkable viewing from Botany Bay Plantation, a wildlife management area set on over 4000 acres of forest, marsh, and beach. Botany Bay Eco Tours offers a variety of eco-tours here, by foot, kayak, or boat. Visitors may also explore this pristine natural area on their own. Hours of operation are from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. during the summer months, excluding Tuesdays. For more information, call 843-869-2998 or visit www.botanybayplantation.com.
Other parts of the island are easily explored via a guided kayak excursion with Edisto Watersports & Tackle. For prices and tour times, visit www.edistowatersports.net or call 843-869-0663. Additionally, Island Bikes and Outfitters offers guided kayak tours of Edisto’s most secluded estuaries and beaches. More information can be found by calling 843-869-4444 or by visiting www.islandbikeoutfitters.com.
Set in a rare, sparsely-developed corner of the world, Edisto, with its vast green spaces, ancient live oaks, wide open marsh views, and quiet, pristine beach, offers a coastal island experience uncommon today among Eastern seaboard communities. Visitors and residents arrive under a live oak canopy via Highway 174, designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a National Scenic Byway. Here, there’s a slower pace of life, coupled with a broad range of year-round recreational activities, all set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. This is the coastal island destination that is said to offer its own “state of mind…any time, any season.” For more information, please call the Edisto Chamber of Commerce at 843-869-3867 or 1-888-333-2781 or visit www.edistochamber.com.
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